VANCOUVER – Winning gold at the Olympics is an amazing feat. For one team, the celebration after raised some eyebrows!

VANCOUVER – Winning gold at the Olympics is an amazing feat. For one team, the celebration after raised some eyebrows!

The Canadian women’s hockey team won gold at the Vancouver Olympics on Thursday night. They beat the United States 2-0 and fueled the dreams of Canadians for an Olympic gold on the men’s side. The celebration, however, left much to be desired.

Several minutes after the medals ceremony, the Canadians women’s hockey team returned to the ice holding cans of beer and champagne and posed for photographs. A few players added some cigar smoking to the mix. Mary Philip Poulin, one month shy of 19, was one of the women photographed partaking in all the festivities.

Perhaps it was a coming of age kind of thing, but the fact remained that she was not legally allowed to drink. Certainly a poor show of judgement not only on her part but of that of the hockey team. The team itself talked for months that their success would be predicated by their dedication, hard work and commitment.

The International Olympic Committee was less than pleased with their actions. They have said that they will be investigating the incident. Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was “not what we want to see” from athletes at an Olympic venue. The IOC will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee.

Steven Keough, spokesman for the COC said in a statement, “We condone celebrations … We don’t condone actions of irresponsibility. I think Canadians understand it’s quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols.”